New Mutations of the Protestant Ethic among Latin American Pentecostals

Religious Tastes and Styles as Markers of Class Belonging: A Bourdieuian Perspective on Pentecostalism in South America

“…Pentecostalism have been made in the case of Brazil and Chile (Corten, 1995;Freston, 1997;Gooren, 2011;Martin, 1995;Martin, 2006). Put simply, the two constitute competing styles, each of them setting its own standards for 'good' Pentecostalism: the popular 'mainstream' style promotes expressiveness, emotionality, the experience of the Holy Spirit, and faith healing rituals as features of 'good' Pentecostalism; whereas middle class Pentecostals contests that these should be legitimate features of Pentecostalism, instead promoting education and self-control.…”

The Pentecostal Ethic and the Spirit of Development

“…This is quite different from the context of internally driven scientific advance, technological discovery and cultural renaissance in which sixteenth-century European capitalism developed (cf. Eisenstadt 1968, Martin 1995. And while European capitalism developed in the context of early modern state formation, contemporary capitalism in Africa is spreading in a context of the 'rolling back' of the state.…”

Pentecostalism and Politics in Neoliberal Chile

“…The legacy of Weber has by no means been lost on scholars of what has in recent decades become the fastest growing religious movement (in the broadest possible sense of the term) in the world: Pentecostalism. While they mostly (and wisely) refrain from asserting any classical Weberian connection between Pentecostalism and large scale capitalist activity, scholars have repeatedly and more or less unanimously been arguing that Pentecostal communities can and often do function as motors of cultural transformation, for instance by redefining gender relationships and economic priorities and by fostering discipline, sobriety, selfconfidence and a new work ethics, all of which result in more harmonious domestic environments and enables converts to adapt to insecure labor markets (Brusco 1995;Mariz 1994;Martin 1990Martin , 2002Martin 1995Martin , 1998Maxwell 2005). A question that has generated more division and debate is whether the transformative potential of Pentecostal religion may in time be transferred from the private sphere into public spheres, for instance by inspiring and preparing people for political democratic participation and thus indirectly contribute to the strengthening of civil society and democratic values.…”